title: Melanoma with cartilaginous differentiation originating within the mucosa of the nasal cavity.
abstract: Mucosal melanomas are uncommon in comparison to their counterpart on the skin, accounting for approximately 1% of all such tumors. The majority of mucosal melanomas arise within the head and neck region. Osteocartilaginous differentiation in these tumors is a rare phenomenon and can pose diagnostic challenges. Herein we report a case of melanoma with cartilaginous differentiation originating in the nasal cavity of a 76-year-old male, presenting dramatically as a large mass projecting well beyond the vestibule of the right naris. To our knowledge, this case represents the fifth example of a melanoma with bone and/or cartilage differentiation to arise in the head and neck region, and the third to be reported in the nasal cavity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Sciences, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Dental School, Newark, NJ 07103-2400, USA. rinaggjo@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rinaggio
authors.forename: Meera
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hameed
authors.forename: Soly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baredes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002356:Cartilage / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*